1. Technical Field
One or more embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to communications between wager-based gaming machines and mobile devices, and more specifically to establishing associations between players, mobile devices and the gaming machines players play.
2. Background Art
In gaming environments, many patrons allow their activities to be tracked in exchange for the prospect of receiving various incentives. Currently, this is achieved via a ‘Player Tracking’ (PT) card which contains an embedded magnetic strip that stores identifying information.
When a patron wishes to play a specific Electronic Gaming Machine (EGM), they insert their PT card into a slot located on the EGM, so that from then, until the card is removed, all bets, wins, losses and other events occurring at the EGM will be associated with the card's owner. While card use is an accepted practice, it is an inconvenience for both the operator and patron alike.
For the operator, there are material and labor costs associated with issuing cards. Additionally, there are large expenses associated with the purchase and maintenance of card readers placed in every EGM, which for a large casino, may number in the thousands.
The patron too is inconvenienced in that they have to visit a registration area to first request the card and then handle the card each time they approach or leave an EGM. Furthermore, players may inadvertently forget to remove their card when they leave. Cards are misplaced so frequently that many casinos also give lanyards to their customers that are used to tether the card to a part of the patron's clothing. While a tether ensures that the card remains with its owner, it is an ergonomic inconvenience that obstructs game play. It also detracts from the visual ambiance of a casino to see player with cords strung between them and EGMs. Given these shortcomings, it would be desirable to devise a less costly, more convenient, and more contemporary alternative to the current, card based player tracking products.
Alternatives to PT cards have previously been proposed. For example, one proposal suggests that a player's personal cellular phone or PDA emit an identifying message using the Bluetooth protocol. This signal would be received by multiple EGMs in close proximity. Then, by using an estimate of relative field strength, the hope is that a specific EGM can be identified as the one with which the player wishes to establish a link. Unfortunately, there are several reasons why this approach may be unreliable. One reason is that EGMs are so densely packed together in casinos that the signals would be received by multiple EGMs with essentially identical field strength. Additionally, the Bluetooth protocol can be susceptible to degradation from Radio Frequency (RF) noise and the presence of many large, RF reflective and/or absorptive metal surfaces (many EGM electronics and cabinets). Despite such concerns, it would be desirable to offer patrons a more convenient alternative to that of a tethered PT card.